My Killjoy Story
by doom-angel
Summary: The story of my Fabulous Killjoy, Cyanide Princess and her fight for survival, battling Korse and BL/Ind alongside her best friend and the other Killjoys. REVIEWS PLEASE!
1. Chapter 1

Party Poison, Jet Star, Kobra Kid, Fun Ghoul. Dead. All of them. Dead.

It hasn't sunken in yet. I can't believe it. Girl's safe. We know that. Doctor Death-Defying and the others got to her as she escaped from Korse and his minions. But the Killjoys have been killed. First Party Poison, then Kobra Kid, then Fun Ghoul. Fun Ghoul actually locked himself in to give Jet Star and girl a chance. Jet Star was killed too. Dr. Death-Defying said he saw his body on top of the Trans-Am.

I'm not going to lie to you though. I couldn't abide by the top Killjoys. They didn't half get on my nerves, driving around in that clapped out old banger, acting all high and mighty with that little charity case of theirs'! We're all in the same boat here, there's no room for ranks, and they thought they could boss us all about. Well look at where that's got them. I told Party Poison that he should have had more of us on the 'front line', but would he listen? No. Because he was an idiot.

I should probably introduce myself about now. I'm Cyanide Princess. Hey. I know the name's a cliché, but I didn't have long to pick one out. No-one gives their real name out here. It would make it too easy for people to find us. I was brought up pretty well, I know my abc's, I can speak French, my maths is great, and I was doing more GCSEs than I care to mention. None of that matters anymore! My parents were some of the first to be taken over by the medication. We're a pretty well-to-do family, and we were the first to be hit. Dad's influential you see, so once he'd been taken over, so were dozens of other people, and dozens of others after them. A chain reaction.

I know my parents are looking for me, but I can't go back to them. It would be too easy to fall back into their arms and take my medication and be all 'happy' and 'fulfilled'. I'm 15 and I drive around the wastelands on a motorcycle. 3 Years ago that would have been a dream come true, and now it's a living nightmare. When I found out what was going on, I joined up with the Killjoys in my nearest zone. I lived in England then. My best friend, Happy Camper (see what I mean about the crap names?) joined up too. When they found out how good a team we made, they shipped us off to California. On a boat across the Atlantic. I get sea sick. It was horrible! We were met off of the boat by the 'big four', and they accompanied us to their base. It's not much. A ramshackle old café in the middle of the desert. There we found supplies. I was able to swap the clothes I'd run away in (my navy blue jogging bottoms, white t-shirt and black hoodie) for some clothes more suited to my new lifestyle. A bright red pair of jeans with black lightning bolts on them, a green t-shirt with a printed waist coat, a black leather jacket, black leather driving gloves and a pair of scuffed black kicker boots that fitted me perfectly. I finished the ensemble with a red bandana and pink neon stripes across my cheekbones. I figured if Party Poison could have that red around his jaw, I could have this. I looked pretty goddamn fly. We were taken out back, to where there were periodic piles of metal, which, to the untrained eye, would look like scrap, but I could tell that they were vehicles. A bright purple motorcycle caught my eye. I went over an inspected it. It had some minor damage to the exhaust and its' breaks were shot, but I knew I could fix it in a couple of hours. I turned to Dr. Death-Defying.

"Who owns that bike?" I asked.

"No-one anymore," He sighed "it belonged to Palma Violet, but the draculoids got her. We only ever found her bike." He sighed again. "That's the way it is out here, I'm afraid."

"Can I have it?" I asked quietly, not wanting to disrespect the memories of Palma Violet.

"Of course." Doctor Death-Defying replied. "Nothing out here is wasted." And the bike became mine. I hunted around the yard for parts and fixed it up. By the time I was finished, I was sweating under the afternoon sun. I hurried inside and asked the nearest person- a Lady-boy wearing roller-skates- for a glass of water. He fetched me one, and I downed it in one gulp.

"Where are the showers?" I asked, longing to wash the sweat and grease from the bike off of my body.

"Well," said the lady-boy, with a smile "there's a bucket and a watering can by a tap behind a curtain outside." He grinned at me. Great. Just great. I jogged outside and hurriedly washed myself down. It was nice to be clean again. When I got back in, Happy Camper was there, sat at a grimy table eating what looked like dog food next to Girl.

"Alright there darl?" He asked me, through mouthfuls of gunk.

"Been better mate, been better." I grinned at him, like I would have done when we were at school together, just two normal kids trying to get by. Back then, our biggest worries were GCSEs, AS level options and prom dates. Life as a Killjoy really puts everything into perspective! It was at that moment that Party Poison walked in. He came over to me, and I could see he had something hidden behind his back.

"So, Doctor D tells me you've got Palma's old bike?" He grinned lopsidedly at me.

"Yeah, and what of it?" I practically growled. The last few months had taught me many things, and one was to not trust people.

"I just figured you'd be needing this, kid!" He laughed, whipped a motorbike helmet from behind him, and shoved it over my head. That was when I took a dislike to him. I AM NOT A KID.


	2. Chapter 2

Look, I have no problem with being referred to as a kid, but I'm 5' exactly, and as my drama teacher would say, I have 'little person' syndrome- i.e. I hate being referred to as 'kid' or any other term which could reference my height. So that was when I took a dislike to the big four. Out of the lot of them, the only one I could really stand enough to have a conversation with was Jet Star. He was much quieter than the other three, and yet there was something about him that was really brave. I knew that he would do anything to protect any of us, whereas the others all seemed to be fighting for 'the greater good'. I was never sure if we meant anything to them. So I wasn't too chuffed at being referred to as 'kid'.

"I just figured you'd be needing this, kid!" He laughed, whipped a motorbike helmet from behind him, and shoved it over my head. That was when I took a dislike to him. I AM NOT A KID.

"I am not a kid!" I yelled, my voice muffled by the helmet. I tried to jump at him, I would have pummelled him in the stomach like I used to do to the kids at school who made fun of my height, but Jet Star caught me from behind. He grabbed my shoulders and held me until I stopped struggling and rounded on him. "Why the hell did you stop me?" I asked, livid.

"There are enough people out there who want to hurt us, without us attacking each other." He replied, letting go of me and absentmindedly twisting one of his curls around his pinky finger.

"Urgggh!" I said "You're all insane!" I stomped off and sat next to Happy Camper. "Stupid pricks! Who do they think they are? Idiotic morons! Twits!" I ranted on, using ever more inventive profanities to describe the big four, until I realised he wasn't listening. "Hey, HC, are you even listening to me?" I asked, beginning to worry about him. He turned to face me.

"Cy, you know you're being kinda harsh, don't you?" He said. "I mean, they've taken us in, clothed us, fed us, they've given you a bike. All you need now is a gun and they've practically adopted you!"

"Huh. Pft. If the Birmingham Zone had let me bring my gun out here, they wouldn't need to give me one!" I remembered my gun being taken off of me. They'd said that it was a 'safety hazard' onboard the boat! We'd had guns with us, but they were locked up, where I couldn't get to them. I know what you're thinking- hard to imagine Killjoys saying something's a safety hazard…

"Yeah, well, you haven't got a gun, so go suck up to Party Poison!" He said, pushing me off of my chair. It really hurt.

I jumped up from the floor and brushed myself down. I marched over to Party Poison, who was cleaning his gun, and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Look, I'm sorry I went for you, but I don't like being called kid. I'm 15, not 4, and we're all equal out here, right?" He looked me up and down.

"Yeah, we are all equal. It's just difficult for me to imagine someone your size fighting. You shouldn't be here." He sighed. "None of us should." I looked at Girl, who was sat at a table playing cards with Fun Ghoul.

"What about Girl?" I asked. "She's younger than me, isn't she?" Party Poison sighed again.

"Girl's different," He said, with pure emotion running through his voice. "she's got no-one left. Her Mom is one of Korse's right handers. We have no choice but to keep her close." He looked guiltily at me. "It was a choice between keeping her near to us or killing her there and then. None of us could do that to an innocent child. So she stays." I glanced at Girl. She was laughing as she beet Fun Ghoul at snap. He was right. She was perfect innocence. I remembered why I'd come over to speak to him.

"Party Poison?" I started.

"Yeah?"

"Where can I get a gun?" He grinned at me and I could see that this was his area of expertise.

"Come on down to the basement. It's where we keep our guns. I'm pretty sure there'll be something there for you." He grinned at me again. I still disliked him massively, but I was at least starting to trust him.


	3. Chapter 3

The basement was amazing. It was dusty and grimy and had a metallic smell around it. It reminded me of my Dad's garage when I was little, and I'd sit with him fiddling with cars. The second that smell hit me, I felt at ease. The whole room was grey, and the walls were covered with hooks, each of which held a gun. One wall held large guns which could easily blow up cars, another held tiny guns that could be put in your pocket, and a third wall held the average sized guns that most Killjoys carried with them. The wall with the door we had just entered through on it was covered with 'Wanted' posters, each containing the face of a Killjoy. My heart skipped a beat when I saw my own face among them. I was really a Killjoy. It took all of my willpower to not look for my old friends on there. Party Poison tapped me on the shoulder.

"Take your pick." He said, pointing across to the guns. I started looking. I knew that I wanted an average sized one, and I knew how I wanted it to feel in my hand. I scanned the hooks. There were so many to choose from. Pink guns, blue guns, yellow guns, orange guns, multi-coloured guns- the list goes on. Each one was a slightly different shape, size and design. I spotted a purple one that I liked, but when I held it, it was too heavy in my hand. A black one caught my eye, but the barrel was too thick. After a while, I spotted one I loved. It was bright red. I held it in my hand. The weight was perfectly balanced. The barrel was the perfect size. The handle was small enough that I could hold it comfortably in my hands, and the trigger was just the right size for my index finger. I examined it. All there was to distinguish it from an average red ray gun was the word 'DESTROYA' written in black along the barrel. I ran my fingers along the word on the barrel, and turned to Party Poison.

"It's perfect." I whispered. He grinned at me and handed me a holster for it. It was black leather.

"Look after that for me," He said quietly "that was my first holster." I took it from him and ran my hand across the soft leather. He fastened it around my waist, and I slipped my gun into it.

"Thank you." I said, as we walked from the room.

"Don't mention it." He mumbled. We walked back into the café, and the sight worried me. The entirety of the Killjoys that lived there were gathered around a table, as Doctor D talked. Party Poison and I shuffled toward them.

"Security breach…. Battery City…. Desert attack… Car…" I caught snatches of Doctor D talking. He spotted me and glanced at the clock quickly. I looked too. It was 11pm. "Cy, HC, Girl?" He asked.

"Yeah?" We questioned simultaneously.

"Bed." He said in a monotonous voice.

"What?" I asked, my voice rising in volume. "I thought we were all equal? Why do we have to go to bed before you lot?"

"Because you're 15." He said simply "You need more sleep than we do." After a small amount of grumbling on mine and HC's parts, Doctor D directed Fun Ghoul to show us to the sleeping quarters. He headed to the back of the building, and pointed HC to a door.

"That's where you'll be staying, HC." He said. "You'll be sharing with LadyBoy." HC didn't look happy about this, but entered the room anyway. I glanced in quickly, and saw a room with no decoration. Mattresses with quilts and sheets lay on bared floorboards. There was no source of natural light- I could see where windows had been bricked up, to protect from laser fire. Fun Ghoul beckoned us to follow him.

"Cy, you'll be staying with Girl." He mumbled. I wasn't bothered. It would be nice to share with someone. I had shared with my little sister when I'd lived at home, and since then I'd always been made to sleep separately from everyone else, as the majority of Killjoys were men and boys. Fun Ghoul pointed to a door, and Girl walked straight in. I followed cautiously. The room was much nicer than HC and LadyBoy's. The walls looked like they had once been painted pink, and a faded wallpaper border covered with pink and yellow carousel horses was wrapped around the walls, and the floor was covered in a tatty carpet. Clean looking quilts and blankets were laid carefully across the two relatively clean looking mattresses.

"Night girls." Fun Ghoul whispered, before ruffling out hair and closing the door softly behind him. Girl took off her body warmer and shoes and socks and climbed under the covers of the mattress on the left. I stood in the middle of the room, and mentally went over the day's events. Eventually, exhaustion overtook me, and I removed my leather jacket, driving gloves, boots and socks, and wiped the make up from my cheeks. I took my bandana off, and climbed under the covers of the remaining mattress. I fell asleep almost immediately.


	4. Chapter 4

I got the best night's sleep I'd had for months that night. The mattress was a little springy, but it beat desert floors, bare floorboards and abandoned shop doorways hands down. The next morning, I was woken by sharp rapping on the bedroom door.

"Get up! Get up! We're Drac-hunting today!" Party Poison's voice rang out. I know I said earlier that I didn't like the Killjoys, but I was lying a little. They turned into older brother-like figures that I disliked moderately, but also kind of loved. I rolled off of my mattress, and lay on the threadbare, dusty carped for a few seconds, before composing myself and pulling on my socks, shoes and leather jacket. I tied my holster around my waist and tucked my gun in. Again, I marvelled at its' beauty, the word DESTROYA jumping out at me with its' bold print across the barrel. I smeared the pink across my cheeks and spotted my motorbike helmet on the floor next to my mattress, with my driving gloves folded neatly inside. I pulled on my gloves and tucked the helmet under my arm. I turned to wake up Girl, but she wasn't there. I figured she was already awake. I headed down the corridor toward the main part of the diner, and caught Happy Camper on the way out of his room.

"How's it going HC?" I called toward him, glad to see my old friend again. He turned toward me.

"All's good m'dear, all's good." He grinned at me, and we walked down the corridor together. We burst through the doors, and were met with something amazing. The Killjoys, all of them, were preparing and working together. Party Poison and Kobra Kid were practicing shooting, whilst Fun Ghoul packed rations of dog food for us all. In the corner, Jet Star and Girl sat, Jet Star holding a pair of scissors carefully in his hands, and talking quietly to her. I shuffled closer, listening in.

"It's just a haircut sweetie. It needs cutting." Jet said quietly. Girl didn't look impressed.

"I don't want a haircut, and it doesn't need cutting!" Girl whined.

"If I don't cut it, it'll get in the way. We can't be having that, can we?" Jet Star twirled one of his own curls around his pinkie finger. "I cut mine, you like my hair, don't you?" Girl looked up, and reached a little hand out as if to touch his hair.

"Okay okay okay, you can cut it." Girl said, grudgingly. "But not too short, okay!"

"Okay." Jet Star smiled at her, and began to snip away at her hair. I walked toward Fun Ghoul.

"Need a hand?" I asked him, with a grin on my face.

"Sure," He said, tucking a stray piece of hair behind his ear "can you grab some water out of the cupboard please?"

"No problem." I said, happy to help out. I crouched down and opened the cupboard under the counter. It was filled with more bottles of water than I could count. I stood back up. "How many do you want?" I asked FG.

"Grab twenty." He said, not looking away from the dog food he was counting. I crouched back down and carefully counted out twenty bottles of water, and placed them on the counter in front of FG. "Thanks Princess." He said, looking up for just long enough to grin at me. I smiled back and then headed toward Party Poison.

"Hey, how long until we leave?" I asked.

"Not long Princess- hey do you mind if we start calling you that? It's nicer than Cy." He smiled at me.

"Sure, I like it. Princess… My dad used to call me Princess…" I whispered quietly, my voice beginning to crack.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. We all miss our families. You're not weak if you cry." He said the words slowly, like he was choosing his words carefully. I sniffled, wiped my nose on my sleeve, and straightened up.

"I'm fine." I said defiantly. "I'm tougher than I look."

"I know you are… Princess." Party Poison smiled at me, then said "Hey, don't you need to sort out your bike? Go check its' oil levels, and you can ride alongside the car."

"Okay then." I said, walking outside. I spotted my bike leaning against a wall, and walked over to it. I checked the oil and fuel levels, and everything was good. I pulled my helmet on, and climbed onto it. I started it up, and kicked off in the dirt. I rode around for a couple of minutes, enjoying the way the bike felt, like it was an extension of me. I rode back toward the café diner, and stopped, kicking up dirt. I spotted the Killjoys leaving the Diner. Doctor D, Show Pony and a few others climbed into a van, whilst the big four and Girl jumped into the trans-am. Happy Camper and a few others would be staying at the Diner, holding the fort in case of a Drac attack. I started my bike back up as the others started their engines. The big four sped off in the car, and the van followed closely behind. I kicked off my bike and sped after them. I wove along the tracks that had been worn into the dirt, enjoying the feel of the wind whipping against me. As we got closer to Battery City, the air seemed to shift around me. It felt different. The car slowed down, and the van and I copied closely. Eventually, we came to a halt. The big four and Girl hopped out of the car, and the others jumped out of the van. For the first time, I noticed that Jet Star, Kobra Kid and Show Pony wore bike helmets outside of the diner, despite travelling around in a car and van. It didn't strike as weird- out here in the desert your identity was your only treasure. I resolved to keep my helmet on too, but I pulled my visor up when the others did the same. We converged in a circle, and Party Poison began talking.

"Go off in your groups, you know who you're with. Princess, you're going to be a roving agent. I want you to flit between groups, keep us all up to date. Keep your gun in your hand at all times." He emphasised the last three words, and I knew that my life could depend on me following his instructions. The groups split off, I saw Fun Ghoul and Party Poison disappear with Girl, and Jet Star and Kobra Kid head off with a few others, and then I was alone in the desert. Slowly, I began to walk into the unknown.


	5. Chapter 5

I walked for a few minutes, and then turned back around. Something you should know is that out in the desert, there are no landmarks. It's impossible to tell which direction you're walking in, so I wasn't sure which way I was pointing. I had no choice but to keep walking in whatever direction I decided on, and hope to God I'd get somewhere safe. That was when the noises started. I could hear engines coming toward me. For a few moments, I allowed myself to be lulled into a false sense of security. The engines sounded like the engines of the van that Doctor D and Show Pony rode around in, and I wasn't alarmed. I figured that maybe I'd been walking for longer than I thought, and that they'd come to find me. But then I heard laser fire. The guns sounded different. And there was no sound of voices. When the Killjoys shot, there were always voices, whether they be jubilant yells of delight when they hit a drac, or screams and cries of pain or and anguish, when someone was hit by the dracs. I watched the dust move, and a car come into view. It wasn't a killjoy car. It was grey. It wasn't being driven by brightly coloured people with smiles on their f aces. It was being driven by white suited men in red, white and black masks. I was in for it. I reached down to my holster, pulled out my gun and snapped down my visor. If I was going to go out, I was going to go out with a bang. One of Doctor D's transmissions rang out clearly in my memory:

"Keep your boots tight, keep your gun close and die with your mask on if you've got to." And that was exactly what I intended to do. The world slowed down around me. I remembered how it felt to kill a drac, how good I was at it. That was why I'd been shipped out here in the first place. I stood with my legs apart, reached my arms out, clasped my gun between my hands, and fired. Bang. With one laser fire, I took out the front left wheel of the dracs' car. I watched their heads turn in unison, and I watched as they each reached for a gun. I pulled my trigger again. Bang. The drac in the back seat on the left went limp as the laser pierced his mask and then his head. I got ready to pull the trigger again when a bright light came towards me, relentlessly speeding at my helmet. It hit me, and I flew backwards. I was disoriented. My gun had flown out of my hand when the laser had hit me. I had no defence. My only hope was to lie here, perfectly still, and hope that the Dracs would assume I was dead. And then another bang sounded in the distance. My head jolted, and I passed out.

I was roused by the sound of voices around me, and the feel of cool hands on my wrist, and then my neck.

"She has a pulse. She's still with us. The helmet must have stopped it." I recognised that voice- it was the same one that I had woken to only that morning. The hand moved from my neck.

"The helmet looks pretty beat up- she'll need another one." A smooth voice rang out. A voice that was perfect for radio. I felt the same cool hands reach under me, and lift me up.

"Princess, can you hear me?" I struggled to form words with my lips. My jaw ached from the impact of the laser, and I felt nauseous. "Doctor D, can you take her helmet off?"

"Sure kid." I felt a slight tugging, and the helmet came off. Fresh, cool air rushed into my lungs. I could see the stars in the sky. It was getting late. How long had I been lying out there? I looked to the side slightly, and saw Party Poison looking down at me.

"Princess, are you okay?" I couldn't answer, because the taste of bile coated my throat.

"Down, now." I barely managed to choke out the words. Party Poison carefully placed me on the floor, and I turned to the side, and retched. I puked up the contents of my stomach. "Water?" I asked, my throat and tongue feeling like sandpaper.

"Here, drink this." I heard Fun Ghoul's voice, and felt the plastic rim of a bottle being pushed to my lips. I glugged at the water, feeling it wash away the taste in my mouth.

"Can you walk?" Party Poison asked. I lifted myself up, and sat, and then I struggled to my feet. I took two steps, and everything started to spin. I fell, and would have hit the floor if Party Poison hadn't caught me. He lifted me up like a rag doll. "I guess not." He smiled, and something in his smile was so calming, that I couldn't help but close my eyes and feel the creeping of sleep upon me. A sudden thought jolted me.

"My gun?" I asked, suddenly worried. "Where's my gun?"

"It's all good!" Kobra Kid yelled. "I've got it."

"Oh, okay then…" I whispered, "I'm gonna sleep now, k?" although it probably sounded more like "Oookthn. M'gonsleepnowk?"

"Ok sweetie." And Party Poison held me a little tighter, like you'd hold a small child or baby- a younger sibling, as he walked toward wherever the cars were.


	6. Chapter 6

I woke maybe twice on the journey back to the diner. Once, I asked what had happened to my bike. Jet Star told me that Kobra Kid was riding it back for me, and again as Party Poison lifted me out of the car. I was semi-conscious as he carried me through the diner and laid me on my mattress. He jostled me a little, so that I could take off my boots, socks, jacket and gloves, then swung my legs onto my mattress, so that he could pull the quilts over me. I nestled down among the pillows, and fell asleep. I dreamed dreams of bright lights and masked faces. I woke twice, with sweaty palms and aching joints. The third time I woke, I rolled over and saw that Girl's bed was empty. I pulled myself up and walked down toward the main area of the Diner barefoot. As I walked through, I saw it was entirely deserted, excepting Jet Star, who was sat at one of the tables eating dog food. I walked over and sat opposite him.

"Hey, Jet Star, where can I get some food?" He looked up when he heard my voice, and a look of shock and concern crossed his face.

"You shouldn't be out of bed." He said the words sternly. "Have you seen yourself? You're a mess, Princess." I was a little bit hurt, and he could see it. He stood up and walked to the counters, where he fetched me a can of dog food, which he opened, and a fork. He grabbed a spoon as well, and sat opposite me again. He placed the fork and dog food in front of me, and then handed me the spoon. "Look at your reflection." He said quietly. I held the spoon up, moving it backwards and forwards until I could see a clear reflection of myself, and recoiled. There was a gash in my face, pulling down on the corner of my left eye, and going straight across my cheek. My eyes had dark rings around them, and my lip was swollen. It appeared that the lasers had done more damage than I'd first thought. I trailed a finger along the gash in my cheek; it stung a little, but it was clean. I turned to Jet Star.

"Who cleaned it all up for me?" I asked quietly.

"Doctor D did it," He responded. "He told me to tell you to go and see him the second you woke up, but I think it's best if you eat first." Jet Star was right. Looking back, I hadn't eaten anything since I'd arrived here. We ate in silence. When I finished eating, I looked up at him again.

"Where can I find Doctor D?" I asked.

"He'll be in the radio room." Jet Star answered stiffly. I stood up and headed down the corridor. The diner was still unusually quiet. I passed Girl on my way to the radio room, I ruffled her hair and she hugged me tightly.

"I'm glad you're okay." She said quietly, before releasing me and running off in the opposite direction. I got to the door of the radio room. A sign on the door read 'Knock before entering', so I knocked twice.

"Come in." Doctor D's smooth voice sounded from within. I opened the door. The radio room was very small. It was filled with transmitting equipment- screens and keyboards and microphones and all manner of contraptions. At one end of the room, a camp bed was set up, and Doctor D was sat at the head end. "It's good to see you awake." Doctor D smiled at me. "You gave us quite a scare yesterday. Very few people survive drac attacks. You know that, don't you?"

"I know, Doctor D." He gave me the thumbs up, and then beckoned me closer. I spotted his wheelchair next to the camp bed. I walked toward him, and crouched down, allowing him to inspect my face. He held my face under my chin, and turned my head to the side, inspecting the gash.

"I'll have to stitch it." He said gravely. "It could hurt a little." I grinned, and then winced. It hurt to smile.

"I've been shot at by Dracs, it's not like a needle and thread is the worst pain I've ever felt." Doctor D smiled at me, and then reached under his pillows and bought out a green box. He opened it, and I saw a compact but extensive medical kit. He caught me looking.

"These aren't the only medical supplies we have." He said with a smile. "We're not that unprepared!" He picked a needle and some thread out of the kit, and threaded the needle, whistling to himself. "Ok then, Sunshine. Hold still!" I gritted my teeth as he worked, feeling the periodic stabbing and tugging sensation as he pushed the needle through my skin, pulling the two sides of the gash together. I felt him reach the end, and watched his face as he tied the thread off and inspected his work. "Not a bad job." He said, more to himself than to me. He reached into his kit again and took out a dressing, which he stuck carefully over the newly sutured wound. "You'll do!" He said, and then he ushered me out of the room.


	7. Chapter 7

I walked back to mine and Girl's room, noticing the lack of people. I passed no-one, and the quiet was disturbing. I sat on my mattress and pulled on my socks and boots. I strapped on my holster and holstered my gun. I looked over to where my helmet should have been, feeling sadness at it not being there, despite having only owned if for a few days. I wouldn't be able to ride my bike without it. As I surveyed the room that had become my home, I spotted a small digital clock/calendar next to Girl's bed. It was 10am, and the date was 23/07/2019- my birthday. I was sixteen today. I'd completely forgotten, and hadn't been keeping track of the days. I allowed myself to sink a little further into my mattress. If I was at home, if nothing had gone wrong, what would I be doing? I'd have probably woken up at 9, gone downstairs. Mom would have been making me a fried egg sandwich and a cup of tea with two sugars. Dad would have hugged me and said something along the lines of 'Happy birthday, princess', and my little sister would have pulled me by my hand to open my presents. I heard the door open and someone walk in, but I didn't look up- I was too engrossed in my daydream. I would have sat at the kitchen table, and eaten my sandwich, whilst I opened presents and cards and answered phone calls from aunts, uncles, cousins and my Nan. I felt someone sit down on my mattress next to me. I looked up. Kobra Kid was looking concernedly down at me. I felt warm wetness sliding down my cheeks, and realised that I was crying. He put his arm around me, and I leaned into him, sobbing into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my head.

"Shh, hey, hey, what's the matter?" He asked, stroking my hair. I pulled away from him and looked up. I noticed for the first time that we had very similar haircuts.

"It's just, it's my birthday. I'm sixteen today. No-one here knows. I miss my family. I should be with them." I fought hard against the sobs that were shaking through my body, but I couldn't control them. I pulled away from Kobra Kid, put my head in my hands, and wept.

"We all miss our families, special days like today are worse; I know that it's difficult. But you're not alone. Remember that. We're your family too. The Killjoys, we are a family." He squeezed my shoulder gently, and my weeping shuddered to a halt. I looked up at him.

"We're… a family?" I asked quietly.

"We are. We're everything that a family is." He smiled. "Look at it this way- we're there for each other, we clean and cook for each other, we care for each other, we keep each other sane, we get on each other's nerves. In the few days that we've known you, you've become our little sister, Princess." I smiled.

"You know, I never had a big brother."

"Well, you do now. Hell kid, you've got at least four of us! God forbid you ever get a boyfriend." He grinned at me. "Now come on, we can't have you sitting by yourself all day." He stood up and held his hand out to me. I took it and he pulled me up off of the mattress. He led me by the hand to the back of the building, and out of the doors. Silence, and then…

"SURPRISE!" Dozens of brightly coloured people jumped out from their respective hiding places, yelling the word at the top of their lungs. I jumped back instinctively, my hand diving down to grab my gun from its holster. Then I realised what was happening. I looked around. All of the Killjoys, the big 4, HC, Doctor Death-Defying, Show Pony and Girl, plus dozens whose names I didn't know, were all standing there, ready to celebrate my birthday. Party Poison walked towards us, holding a cake with sixteen candles on it. He grinned at me.

"You didn't think we'd forget, did you?" He smiled down at me.

"How did you know? And where did you get the cake?" I asked, awestruck.

"Happy Camper told us." He grinned. "Fun Ghoul baked the cake- he's quite the little housewife." I heard a hiss from the gathering of people, and saw Fun Ghoul scowling at Party Poison. Party Poison quickly dissipated the tension by beginning to sing in a haunting and beautiful voice "Happy birthday to you…" The others quickly caught on and chimed in;

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear princess, happy birthday to you!"

"So, are you going to blow out the candles or not?" Party Poison asked with a smile. I leaned forwards and blew out all sixteen candles at once, silently making a wish for everyone to stay safe. Doctor Death-Defying wheeled over, and handed me a knife.

"Make sure you cut me a big slice." He said, winking at me. I wrinkled my nose at him and carefully divided the cake, making sure that there were enough slices for everyone. I took a piece, and so did everyone else. It had been a long time since any of us had eaten anything sweet. Most of us lived off dog food and whatever else we could steal without being noticed. I savoured every bite I took of my slice. When we had all eaten our cake, we sat in a circle around an ancient radio. Tonight, Doctor D was sending out a transmission to the other Killjoys in the zones. I'd watched as he disappeared to his radio room, and I listened to the quiet crackling of the radio static, anticipating tonight's show. The static got louder, and then Doctor D's smooth voice came out of the box in the centre of our circle.

"Why, hello there, motorbabies! I trust you're all present and correct, and no-one has been ghosted? I'm transmitting to warn you that there has been an increase in Drac attacks in zone 6. One of our best agents was taken attacked- fortunately she's present and correct, with only minimal damage! And tonight, crash queens, I've got something special for you. Get a load of this noise!" There was the sound of switch being flicked and then music began to play.

'_Gravity don't mean too much to me, I'm who I've got to be, these pigs are after me, after you…'_

We were in hell. I knew that. There were no luxuries, and there wasn't much to be happy about in the zones, but at that moment, all I cared about was that I had a family. Girl walked over to me, and held her hand out. I jumped up, and we started to dance. Everyone else did too, and soon we were just a mass of moving bodies. I danced with Girl, Fun Ghoul, Kobra Kid, Jet Star, Party Poison, Happy Camper and Show Pony. I even danced with Killjoys I didn't know. We stayed outside that day, and for most of the night, sat around a camp fire, eating cans of dog food and drinking bottles of water. It was the best night I ever had with the Killjoys.


	8. Chapter 8

After dancing and singing and enjoying myself for hours, I decided it was time to sleep. The sun had set hours before, and my eye lids were beginning to droop. I noticed Girl, lying asleep near the dying embers of the campfire, and walked over to her. I carefully picked her up, my arm under her knees and her head lolling against my shoulder, and carried her to our room. I carefully took off her shoes and bodywarmer, and lay her on the mattress, smoothing the pillow beneath her head. I pulled the covers up to her chin and kissed her forehead, stroking her curls gently. I got ready for bed myself, and climbed under my covers, satisfied that I'd had the best birthday ever.

The next morning, I woke to find that the big four and girl were gone. I asked Doctor D where they were, and he told me that they'd gone out to patrol the zones. I was annoyed that they hadn't woken me, but then remembered that I had no helmet so couldn't ride my bike. He also told me that HC had been sent to another Killjoy sector. Doctor D had sent another transmission out that morning, so I spent the afternoon and early evening with Show Pony. We spent the day cleaning the diner. He showed me where I could find a toothbrush, which I was grateful for, and I scrubbed my mouth clean. By mid-afternoon, the big four still weren't back, and I was beginning to worry. I began pacing around the room, until an older motherly looking Killjoy pulled me aside. She sat me down in a chair and I got a good look at her. She wore baggy blue jeans and a neon orange top that was loose around her middle. She had a bright green killjoy mask, but she was wearing it like a headband, using it to keep her long copper hair out of her face. On her feet she wore a pair of battered red all-star converse hi-tops. I looked at her face and saw laughter lines creasing the corners of her eyes and lips, and could see that in her youth she had been a very beautiful woman.

"Hey sweetie, I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm Shadow Exile." She smiled at me. "You must be Cyanide Princess. I've heard a lot of good things about you." I blushed and began to feel uncomfortable. Despite the confident front I put on, I was very socially awkward.

"Thank you." I said, looking at the table top.

"What's eating you?" She asked, smiling at me encouragingly.

"The others aren't back yet. I'm just worried." I said quietly. She reached across the table and held my hand softly between both of hers.

"They've been gone this long before. They normally spend the night camping in one of the zones." She said the words gently. I realised that I must still look a mess. I really was very small compared to the other Killjoys, and my recent injury wouldn't serve to make me look any stronger; at least not until it scarred. In their eyes, I probably looked breakable- delicate, even.

"I know," I whispered "but I miss them." She grimaced at me.

"You'll learn, you can't get too attached to people out here." She dropped my hand. "Anyway, I'd best go. Oh, and since you've lost your helmet, you might want to get yourself a mask. I suggest you ask Doctor Death-Defying. He's good with stuff like that." And with that, she walked out of the diner, and I was alone again. I put my head in my hands, and stayed there for a few minutes, until I stood up and made my way to the radio room to see Doctor D. I walked down the corridor, and knocked twice on the door. I listened closely, and heard Doctor D's radio-perfect voice ring out.

"Come in." I opened the door, and walked in. Doctor D was sat in his wheelchair at his desk, fiddling with the dials on a board of controls that was in front of him. "Why hello there, Princess." He said, turning his head to look at me. "Come over here so I can see you better." I walked so that I was standing to his side, and looked down at the controls he was messing with. "What's the problem kid?" He asked.

"I was just wondering, would it be possible for me to get a mask? You know, since I don't have a helmet anymore." He smiled at me, and opened one of the many draws of his desk, pulling out a plain white Venetian style mask. He reached back into the drawer, and pulled out several pots of paint and a few paintbrushes.

"I'm afraid you'll have to paint your mask yourself." He said with a smile. "You can do it in here if you like. I could do with some company."

"Okay." I said quietly, sitting on the floor with the mask and paint. I decided on my design, and set to work with the black and red paint.

"So, Princess, I figure that you're worried about the others." Doctor D got to the point swiftly. I kept painting.

"Of course I'm worried." I spoke the words quietly, keeping my voice even. "They're the closest thing to a family that I've had for years." Doctor D looked down at me.

"I speak from experience now. At your age, the most important things for you are family and friendship. I understand your worry." He closed his eyes for a moment, and then looked back at me. "But you have to remember, that nothing out here in the zones is solid. Tomorrow, you could wake up to find your best friend dead." He grimaced at me, his black beard moving. He reminded me of the pirates in the story books my Dad would read to me before I went to sleep when I was little. "I can't promise that we'll always be here for you." I looked down at my mask, which I had finished painting.

"I understand, Doctor D." I said quietly. I looked down at my finished mask. On it, I had painted five flowers. Four of them were large and black, each representing a Killjoy- Party Poison, Jet Star, Kobra Kid and Fun Ghoul. The fifth flower was slightly smaller than the others, and bright red. It represented me. I understood that I would never be one of the big four and that I'd always be separate from them in some way, but we were still the same. I had linked each black flower to my red flower with a red line. No matter what happened, I would always be just a shout away from them. Doctor D looked at the mask, scrutinizing it with his eyes.

"I like it." He said simply. "It sums up you as a person." He set the mask on his desk. "I'll leave it here to dry. You can come back and get it later. Now get out of my room!" He said the last words jokingly, but I knew that he meant them. I headed back to the main part of the diner, and glanced at the big clock on the wall. It was 10pm. I headed for mine and Girl's room, and got ready for bed. I climbed under my covers and struggled to fall asleep without the sound of Girl's soft breathing coming from the other mattress. Eventually, I fell into a fitful sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

I awoke to the sound of shouting down the corridor. It was dark in my room. If Girl had been here, she would have had one of the older Killjoys light one of the gas lamps that hung from the ceiling. She didn't like the dark. I realised suddenly that I really did miss her. It was cold in the diner- the sun hadn't yet risen, and I didn't want to put my jacket on, so I pulled my duvet around my shoulders, huddling in its faint warmth, and headed down the corridor toward the main area of the diner. As I got closer to the source of the noise, the voices behind the door became clearer. I could hear Party Poison shouting, his voice cracking occasionally. I could tell that he was crying.

"She's just a child! We have to save her!" He shouted. I walked into the diner, and every single Killjoy in there turned to look at me. I looked straight at Fun Ghoul, Jet Star, Kobra Kid and Party Poison, and scanned the diner for the one person I couldn't see. I suddenly realised who Party Poison had been shouting about. I rounded on him, rage boiling inside my chest.

"Where's Girl?" I shouted, my voice going up in pitch. I didn't care that Party Poison was upset. All that I cared about was that Girl was missing. "Where is she?" I yelled again, furious. Party Poison turned to look at me.

"She's gone!" He cried, tears running down his face, leaving clean streaks in the dirt and dust that covered his cheeks. "The dracs got her! Korse will have dragged her back to SCARECROW headquarters. We've got to save her…" He began to sob. I took deep breaths and allowed the anger that had been building within me to subside.

"I'm helping. I don't care what your plan is, but I'm helping." I snarled. Party Poison gave a one word reply.

"No."

"Why?" I asked, enraged.

"We've already lost one kid, I won't be responsible for another going missing." He replied curtly. I was 16. I wasn't a kid, and as far as I could see, he was responsible for the capture of the closest thing that I'd got to a sister. For the second time since I'd met him, I lunged for Party Poison. This time, nobody held me back. I pummelled at his chest and stomach, sobbing and screaming with anger. He made no attempt to stop me. He just stood there, firm as a rock whilst I attacked him. When I was finished, I began to cry tears of pain, anger and worry. Party Poison grasped my shoulders firmly and crouched down so that he was eye level with me. His crying had stopped, and now he looked concernedly into my eyes.

"Princess," He began softly. "I am going to save her. I promise you that she will be okay. I'm sorry, but I will not allow you to help. I can't have your blood on my hands." He stood back up and squeezed my shoulder, resting his hand there. "We have to start planning now. Only myself, Jet Star, Fun Ghoul and Kobra Kid will go." He grimaced and turned to Doctor D, who was sat in his wheelchair near the door. "Doctor D, I want you on standby a safe distance away. If anything- anything goes wrong, get Girl out." He emphasized the last three words. There were a few moments of silence.

"Is there any word from Agent Cheri-Cola?" Show Pony piped up. "He could be useful. We all know how much he knew about the inner workings of BL/Ind, and he has blue prints for almost every building in Battery City."

"None I'm afraid, Show Pony." Party Poison frowned, and then turned to me. "Princess, I want you to stay here and hold the fort whilst we're there. I can't risk the diner being attacked whilst we're out, and you're one of the best marksmen we have. If any dracs attack, I want you here. Do you understand?" I nodded reluctantly. Party Poison spoke again, this time raising his voice so that every Killjoy in the diner could hear him. "Tonight, Killjoys, we must salute the dead and lead the fight. We are Girl's only hope."


	10. Chapter 10

I spent the rest of the day flitting between jobs, not really thinking about what I was doing. I cleaned the radio room for Doctor D, and wiped the tables down in the diner. I washed the blankets on Girl's bed and remade it for her, determined that she would have a clean, warm, welcoming and loving home to come back to after whatever horrors she endured today. In the middle of the afternoon, I ran out of things to do. It meant I had to think about things. I sat in the middle of the diner at an empty table and put my head in my hands. I heard faint splashes as my tears hit the table, and the faint voices of Killjoys preparing in other parts of the diner. I felt a hand brush my hair and looked up. It was Fun Ghoul. He sat down in the seat opposite me, and rested his chin on his hands, staring intently at me. His eyes had the peculiar quality of giving the impression that he could see straight into a person's soul. He reached a hand out and cupped my chin, turning my face up to look at him.

"Princess," He began softly. "I know you're scared, but you shouldn't be. You shouldn't need to be." He sighed. "We've been up against dracs before. We'll make it out."

"You can't promise me that." I whispered, tears still falling from my eyes. "You can't promise me that you'll always be here. You could be dead tomorrow. I could be dead tomorrow. Nothing is solid anymore."

"You've been listening to Doctor D too much." Fun Ghoul replied softly. "Come here." He said, beckoning me around the table. I stood up and hesitantly walked around the table. Fun Ghoul stood up and hugged me tight. "Okay Princess," He said. "I can't promise you that I, or any of the others will always be here for you, but I can promise you that you'll always have a family with the Killjoys. There will always be someone there for you, and we'll never leave you. Do you understand that?" I looked up at him.

"I understand." I answered meekly. He tightened his grip on me until it became difficult for me to breathe, and only when my breathing caught did he let go. The door opened suddenly, and Doctor D wheeled in. He turned his chair so that he was facing me, and began talking.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but I thought that you should know that your belongings have arrived from England. I've had Show Pony put them in your room. You might want to go and check to make sure that nothing was lost in transit." He turned to Fun Ghoul. "The others are talking through strategy. I think you'd better join them" With that, he turned his wheelchair and left the diner with practiced ease. I looked at Fun Ghoul, the silence between us now awkward.

"I'd best be going then." I said quickly, walking out of the room with considerable speed. I walked into my room and spotted the cardboard box on the end of my mattress. I sat down and opened it quickly, desperate to look at everything in there. On the top of the box was a photograph of me and my cousins at a party. My younger cousin had become a Killjoy at the same time as me, but he was a lone agent. He worked for the Worldwide Killjoy Association or WWKJA as they were known for short, and I hadn't seen him for years. I didn't know where he was posted. I didn't even know if he was alive. For security reasons, we weren't allowed to tell anyone that we were related, and if anyone discovered that we were related, we weren't allowed to tell them how. The next few things seemed inconsequential; a locket that had been given to me when I was five, containing a photograph of my parents, my sister and me- I carefully clipped it around my neck. There was my iPod, filled with the rock music that I had always listened to. The music bred the spirit of rebellion within my mind, and was one of the reasons that I had become a Killjoy. The music I listened to told me that conforming was wrong. My iPod docking station that played and charged my iPod, and a pile of papers and books that I recognised as my diaries and stories that I'd written were in the bottom of the box. I touched the locket around my neck and took a glance at my photo, stood up and walked down to the diner. The sun was beginning to set, and I knew that the big four would be leaving soon. Sure enough, outside the diner, the big four and the other Killjoys had congregated around the Trans-Am. I walked outside and saw them there. Party Poison made eye contact with me, and I pushed my way through the throng of people gathered around them. I made my way towards the big four, and stood in front of Party Poison. I reached my arms up and wrapped them around his neck, hugging him tight. He lifted me up off of the floor and we stayed that way for a few moments. I repeated it with each of the others. When I got to Fun Ghoul, he did the same, but when he placed me on the floor, he whispered into my ear.

"If we don't come back, I want you to know- my real name is Frank." I looked at him, my eyes widening.

"We shouldn't give our true names out here." I muttered.

"I know we shouldn't, but it's a sign of trust. If anything happens to us, I trust you to look after the others. Do you understand?"

"Yes." I replied quietly. I had a sudden thought. "My name's Lauren." I whispered into his ear. He looked at me, doing the scary eye thing again.

"You look more like a Killjoy Princess to me." He said. He grinned at me, and climbed into the Trans-Am. The other three followed, and I heard the volume of their music increase inside the car. Party Poison leaned out of the window.

"Keep it ugly!" He yelled, before speeding off into the desert. When the car had disappeared from view, the other Killjoys went back inside. I didn't. I sat outside and stared out across the vast expanse of the desert, awaiting the return of my brothers in arms.


End file.
